This invention relates to the field of integrated circuits. More particularly, this invention relates to a thermoelectric device in an integrated circuit.
Integrated circuits generate heat while they are operating. As integrated circuits scale, the transistor density is increasing. However, the current through each transistor is remaining almost constant which means that the power density is also increasing. Circuit performance, especially in high performance circuits, is at times limited by the ability to remove the heat. A number of means are now being employed to remove heat more rapidly from an integrated circuit chip. Included in these are special packages, cooling fans, through silicon via channels through which coolant is pumped, and thermoelectric cooling units attached to the integrated circuit.